Path of a Master
by Deathcrate13
Summary: This is my take on what goes through the mind of a trainer as he makes his way form littleroot town all the way to the Elite Four and the Battle frontier to attain the title of Champion. It has the basic storyline of the classic pokemon Emerald game. Hope you like it :)
1. Chapter 1

_Hmm, looks like this is it… wonder how I got here?_

The white haired boy wondered as he stood before the towering structure. His heart was beating fast and adrenaline was pumping through his entire body as he thought about the challenges that lay inside.

"_The League…" _

He had come such a long way from the day he had started his journey. He felt the weight of the Pokeballs on his belt and he could almost fell the excitement of his companions. They were as eager to get this show on the road as he was. Each and every one of them had played an important part in helping him reach this far and now the final challenge stood before him – The Elite Four.

Standing in front of the structure made him think of all the things that he had been through. All the challenges he had faced and all the friends he had made along the way. It had all started the day he moved to the small town called Littleroot…..

Riding in the back of the moving van, the white haired boy played on his gameboy and wondered how much longer it would take for him to arrive. He was getting sick of being tossed around the van like a ragdoll on every little bump in the road and the ride had started getting unusually bumpy. He was thinking about how long it might take him to get completely settled in this new place when suddenly the van came to a stop and he was thrown against its front wall. He got up, put his gameboy in his pocket and stepped out of the van.

He looked around and he saw two houses on the opposite sides of the street from each other. Well it wasn't really a street. It was more like a gravel pathway. Apart from these two houses, he could make out a larger building in the distance. He was just wondering what It was when his mother walked out the front door of one of the houses. She led him inside the house whilst saying something but he wasn't really paying attention. As they went in, he was could see a bunch of Vigaroth moving them in and he heard his mother talk about how convenient it was. She then walked away to arrange her kitchen. He walked up to his new room and saw that it had been set up to resemble his old room in the city as closely as possible. He looked around and sighed

"_Littleroot… looks like im stuck here…"_

The voice in his head sounded depressed and for good reason. He was stuck in a tiny little town out in the middle of nowhere. What was worse was that his father was not going to be living with him. That meant his father's Pokemon weren't gonna be around either. His eyes fell on a package on his bed. He walked over to it and opened it up. It was a wall clock whit a note attached to the back.

"I'm sorry for putting you through this Sean, but I don't have much of a choice. I thought this would look good in your room though. Love, Dad"

The clock had a picture of a few of his dad's pokemon on its face. He sighed as he set it and hung it up on the wall above his mirror. Then he switched off the lights and went downstairs.

The movers had left and the house looked more like a home. His mother was watching something on the television. He was about to step outside to explore the town when his mom called out to him

"Sean! Sean, come quick! Its dad, he is on TV!"

She sounded exited. Sean walked up to the TV and looked but all he saw was the host of the show signing off with a little quote.

"Aww, looks like its over. Hey, what's with you? You seem glum honey"

Her voice was soothing but it didn't make him feel all that better.

"I'm fine mum. I'm going to go out for a bit. See ya" he said and walked out the door.

No sooner had he stepped out of the house that he saw the door to their neighbors' house open. A woman about the age of forty stepped out and looked at him and smiled

"Didn't you just move here from the Kanto region?" she shouted out to him, "why don't you come inside?"

It seemed rude to decline so he walked over and followed the lady into her house. Their house was pretty much the same as his house except that it felt like whoever lived there had been doing so for a long time. Everything seemed to have a place and nothing was out of its place.

"You must be Sean. I spoke to your mom when she arrived" she said handing him some tea. "You know my daughter May is just about your age. Maybe you should go say hi" she added, noticing the glum look on his face and pointing to the stairs.

"Thank you" said Sean as he finished his tea and went upstairs.

He walked into the only room upstairs. It was completely different from the rest of the house. It looked like it had been hit by a tornado or something because things were just lying all over the place. There were papers all across the desk in the corner, the TV that was hooked to the Nintendo 64 was on and the bed was unmade. Then he noticed a pokeball lying there in the middle of the room. For a second he got curious as to which pokemon might be inside it. He walked up to it and bent down to pick it up when he hear a voice from the doorway

"Who are you?"

He jumped and dropped the pokeball on the floor as he turned around. He noticed a girl in the doorway. She seemed to be about his age and was wearing a red top with deep blue shorts. She had a yellow bag around her waist and a green bandana over her head.

"Oh hi, I'm Sean. I just moved in next door" he said, a little startled.

"Since when does that give you permission to barge into someone's rooms and snoop through their things?" she folded her arms in and started tapping her foot.

"I'm sorry"

"I'm just kidding dummy. I'm May by the way" she laughed and walked over to her PC.

"I think ill get going now" he said and walked out the room before she could say anything else.

Once outside he decided to explore a little more. He walked around a while and realized that there wasn't much to do around here. His mood was a little better now. He walked to the edge of the little town and he noticed a little girl in yellow standing by some trees. She seemed to be listening intently to something. Since he didn't have anything else to do he walked over to the little girl

"Watcha listening to?" he asked casually

"There seems to be something going on out there. But I'm afraid of the wild pokemon. Can you please check it out for me?" she seemed a little worried.

"Yea sure" he walked out onto the dirt track and he noticed that the noise that the girl was referring to was coming from a patch of grass up ahead. He could hear someone shouting for help. He ran over to the source of the sound and saw rather peculiar sight. A man in a lab coat and a pair of shorts was clinging from a branch of a tree while a Zigzagoon stood under it. The Zigzagoon did not look very happy.

"Hey! You there! Please help me out here! There are a few Pokeballs in my bag over there" he screamed indicating a satchel lying on the ground.

"_Sheesh, wonder what he did to piss off that Zigzagoon?" _thought Sean as he jogged over to the satchel. He opened it and three Pokeballs fell out. He picked up one of them and threw it into the air as he had done so many times with his dad's Pokeballs.

The pokeball opened and out came what looked like a little orange chicken

"_Is that a Torchic?!" _he was amazed as torchic was a rather rare pokemon.

"Oh good, Torchic is a good choice. Now hurry up and give it a command. I can't hold on much longer" the man was looking pretty desperate.

Sean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel his heart beating faster as his instinct took over

"Torchic! Use scratch!" he said as he opened his eyes.

The battle wasn't very long but to Sean, it felt glorious. Even after he had called Torchic back into it's pokeball, his heart was beating fast he had a huge grin on his face. Something about pokemon made him feel alive. He realized that in that brief battle, he had forgotten all about his worries of moving to this little town.


	2. Torque

The thought of that first battle was just so exhilarating. Just thinking of how much he and his Pokémon had grown since then bought a smile to his face. Suddenly the weight of the pokeball around his neck seemed to increase. He pulled it off and pressed the little button to enlarge the pokeball. He looked at it and his smile grew even wider.

"_Good times..."_

The man in the white lab coat finished tending to the wounded Zigzagoon and put it in a pokeball. He then walked towards Sean with a huge grin on his face

"That was pretty impressive son"

Sean was still on a bit of a battle high so he didn't quite pay attention to what the man had said. But when he looked at the man he seemed to look a little familiar.

"Th..Thank you..." Sean managed to say as he got a closer look at the man

He had a thick beard covering his rectangular jaw. He had long hair that was slightly unkempt but it still didn't look very bad and a broad smile on his face. His eyes seemed like they were forever curious and that was the thing that gave him such an intellectual look. He was kinda short and seemed like he really loved his food. Under his lab coat, he wore a blue shirt which was tucked into his army green shorts. He wore a belt over his shorts and that seemed a bit weird to Sean because it looked like his belly should have been able to hold those shorts up.

"...why don't you stop by my lab later?"

Sean hadn't been paying attention again so he just nodded his head and the man walked away. He seemed like he was in a hurry. Sean watched him leave and suddenly realised that he was still holding the pokeball in his hand. He looked at it

"_Looks like he forgot this little guy. I wonder if it's okay to keep him..."_

Sean decided that he was gonna ask the man if he can keep the pokemon. He walked back into town and realised that he didn't really know where he was supposed to go because he hadn't asked the man where his lab was

"_Oh well. Looks like I will have to ask him when I next see him..."_

Sean had barely completed this thought when he was thrown forward and onto the ground by someone colliding into him from behind

"HEY!" he shouted as the person who had run into him got up.

"I'm soooo sorry" the voice was familiar.

He turned back and saw May standing over him. She extended her arm and he took it. She didn't look like she would be able to help him up but surprisingly, she managed.

"You are Sean right? Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I need to get to the lab"

She was about to hurry off again when he stopped her

"Wait. Did you say you need to get to The Lab?" he said

"Yea, why?" she seemed to tilt her head ever so lightly

"Well some guy told me to meet him there" Sean replied

"Was this guy kinda fat, bearded and wearing a lab coat?" she giggled a bit as she described him

"Yea"

"His lab is that building in the distance. I'll see ya there ok?" she giggled again and took off.

"_There is something off about this girl" _thought Sean as he walked in the direction of the building. It seemed like a long walk away so Sean decided that he needed some company. He pulled out the pokeball that he had put into his bag and threw it in the air and the Torchic came out. It had a confused kind of expression on its face.

"Hey there..."

The Torchic tilted its head as if to say "Hi?"

"You wanna walk with me to the lab? I would love some company"

It turned around and ran towards the lab. Then, it stopped and turned back towards Sean as if to say "Well? You coming or what?"

Sean smiled and followed after Torchic. There was a warm feeling in his chest as he walked towards the lab with the little firey bird. As they walked, he started talking to Torchic. He told it how much it bothered him that he had to move to this little town and how he wished his dad was still living with him. He shared with Torchic various different things that he hadn't even told his mom. He told Torchic how much fun that battle was and Torchic seemed to be saying "Oh my god! I know right?!"

Even though the little bird only walked along with him and occasionally glanced up to him, he could feel somewhat of a bond with it. He remembered what his dad used to say about the bond between a trainer and his Pokémon. He had said that when he battled alongside his Pokémon, he could tell exactly what was going through their minds. He knew exactly what his Pokémon was capable of and he also knew exactly what was worrying them during the battle. He said that during a battle, the Pokémon and trainer become one. They act and think as one. That is exactly how he had felt when he was battling that Zigzagoon with Torchic today.

"_I wonder..." _He looked at Torchic and he knew that it was thinking the exact same thing.

They reached the lab and Sean walked in to see May talking to the bearded man about something. As both of them looked at him, he realised why the man had seemed so familiar. He just had to be related to May.

"_That would explain the way she acted earlier when she knocked me down" _thought Sean

"Ah, you are the boy who saved me in the forest today" he said with a smile

"His name is Sean, dad" May said to the man and giggled.

"_Dad huh? So I was right"_ thought Sean

"Oh yea, I think your mom told me that. You just moved across the street from us right?"

Sean nodded.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Professor Birch and I'm the head of research at this lab. I study pokemon and this here is my daughter. She helps me with my research" said the man.

Suddenly Torchic poked its head out from behind Sean's legs, where it was hiding. Sean was a bit surprised by the fact that Torchic was acting so timidly because from the little time he had spent with it, he had realised that Torchic was a rather bold natured pokemon. It was probably afraid that the professor wouldn't let Sean keep it.

"Looks like Torchic likes you" said Professor

"Well... yes. Actually that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about..." Sean was really hoping that the professor would let him keep Torchic

The professor laughed "Well I think you should keep it. Plus, it would come in handy for what I have in mind for you"

Sean noticed that May was smiling.

"What do you mean?" Sean was a bit curious as to what this task would be but for the most part, he was happy that he was gonna get to keep Torchic.

The professor rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a device. It was red in colour and from what Sean could make out, it had a kind of a camera on the back. It seemed to have a button in front that looked like a pokeball.

The professor pressed the pokeball button and device flipped open like one of those flip phones. Inside the flip part there seemed to be a screen and a few more buttons.

"This" the professor said indicating the device "is a pokedex. It is used to record the details of the Pokémon that someone meets or captures. But it is empty. What I need you to do is travel the Hoenn region and collect data on all the Pokémon you meet or capture along the way"

"You want me to be a... Pokémon trainer?" Sean was absolutely speechless

"Yes" the professor was smiling.

"You hear that Torchic? We are going on a journey!" Sean picked up Torchic and spun around in excitement.

Torchic seemed as excited as Sean was and it cried out in joy.

"Well now that that is settled, there is only one thing left to clear up" the professor said

Sean stopped spinning around and faced the professor. He was a bit dizzy, both due to spinning around like that as well as the excitement.

"Are you gonna give Torchic a nickname?" the professor smiled.

"Yea... I'm gonna call you Torque" Sean said looking at Torchic.

Torchic just looked at Sean as if to say "I like it..."


	3. The First Step

**Author's Note: **

**S orry I haven't been writing for a while guys. I have been quite busy with stuff but now im back and I think I should be able to put up more of this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Sean walked through the glass doors of the Pokémon League. He had butterflies in his stomach but those were not because he was nervous. On the contrary, he was rearing to go. This was going o be one hell of a challenge.

"_Hope you are ready guys..."_

Sean had no idea where to start. He had always wanted to have his own Pokémon and go on a journey but now that he had his Pokémon, he just didn't know where he should start. His first thought was to tell his mother so he decided to follow his instinct and go home. As soon as he entered the house, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, watching TV and switching channels. He knew she was looking for glimpses of his dad. Ever since he had become Gym leader of Petalburgh city, he hadn't been able to give both of them any time at all. This had had quite the impact on his mom.

"_Seriously dad you need to come home more..." _ Sean sighed

His mom must have heard him come in cuz she turned around and suddenly put on her smile again

"How do you like the town Sean?" her tone was more perky than necessary.

"It is quite something..." he replied recalling the events of the day.

"Don't worry, you will get used to it dear" she walked in to the kitchen and started whistling while she made some soup. This false cheerfulness she kept putting on made it harder for Sean to say what he needed to tell her. How do you tell your mother, who keeps flipping channels looking for glimpses of your father that you are leaving her to go on a journey?

Sean went up to his room for a while and gathered some things that he thought he would need for his journey. He was looking for something to carry all his stuff when he noticed a yellow bag lying in a box labelled 'Norman'. He didn't wanna go through his dad's old stuff but he thought that since his dad isn't around he might as well take a look.

The box didn't have much other than the bag. Just some junk from when his dad was renovating the Gym. He decided to take some of the potions that he found in these since he knew his dad wouldn't use them. He put the potions, his Pokedex and his Poke'Nav in the bag and came downstairs. He couldn't delay telling his mother any longer.

"Hey that is the bag that your dad used to use while he was travelling with his Pokémon. What are you doing with that dear?" his mom's unusually happy tone made him feel even worse about what he was about to say

"Umm... mom, can we... talk?" Sean stammered

"What is it honey?" her fake smile seemed to be fading slowly

He told his mother about everything that had happened that day, from walking into the woods to the professor giving him the Pokedex. After hearing everything, his mom walked into the other room and came back with a dusty little box.

"Your father bought these but never wore them. Maybe you can make better use of them in your travels" she said, opening the box and handing him a pair of yellow sneakers.

"Mom..." Sean fought back tears

"Don't worry about me okay? You need to go live your dream. Just make sure you keep calling. Oh and go see your father if it is possible okay?" When she smiled this time, even though her eyes had tears in them, the smile was genuine. That gave Sean the strength he needed to leave on his journey. He knew his mother would be okay.

After that heartfelt farewell, Sean stepped out of his house. He was just wondering what he wanted to do now when the familiar voice called out to him

"SEAN!" I was May again.

"_I wonder what she wants now" _ He really wasn't in the mood for her cheerful attitude right now but he walked up to her anyways. She seemed to be in a hurry about something.

"Well Sean, since we both have a Pokémon now, I wanted to try something" she seemed to get exited

"Okaaay?" she had aroused his curiosity.

"Let's have a Pokémon battle" her words seemed to spark something inside him. He forgot about everything around them. A smile crept onto his face

"Bring it on" he tossed the pokeball in the air and Torque came out. It seemed to be saying 'let's kick some butt'

May tossed her pokeball in the air and out came a blue Pokémon. It had what looked like a fin on its head and its tail looked like yet another fin.

"Meet my partner Mudkip. We have been together for a while now so no hard feelings if I win okay?" May seemed to be taunting him.

Sean closed his eyes and let instinct take over again. May and Mudkip were quite a team but Torque and him were in complete sync. He commanded Torque perfectly, dodging those Tackle attacks whenever necessary and getting Torque to growl to lower Mudkip's attack. Soon Mudkip was doing literally no damage to Torque with those pointless tackles.

The look on May's face was priceless when Sean suddenly went onto the offensive, getting Torque to land a barrage of scratches on Mudkip. It was over even before May had the time to react. Mudkip fell. Sean had emerged victorious.

"Wow Sean, im impressed..." her voice trailed off as he looked at Torque who seemed to be saying 'we make one hell of a team huh?'


End file.
